Broken Ladder

For decades, career progression followed a familiar shape: the ladder. You climbed rung by rung through a single discipline, aiming for that corner office. But in 2025, that structure is buckling. In my work as a coach in organisational culture change, I see that the career ladder is no longer fit for purpose. Not in a world where agility, not hierarchy, is the true measure of value.

Today’s most forward-thinking organisations are dismantling the ladder in favour of something more flexible: career lattices, jungle gyms, and internal mobility programmes that recognise the full potential of their people. This isn’t just about keeping restless employees happy- it’s a smart, strategic response to a workplace in constant flux.

Technology, especially AI, is transforming roles at speed. Job descriptions are being rewritten mid-flight. In this environment, specialisation alone won’t cut it. Employees need range. They need to pivot, learn, and lead across contexts. And younger generations aren’t waiting to be told this. They crave variety, learning, and a sense of purpose. Not just promotions.

That’s why modern organisations now value potential over position. They spot transferable skills. They encourage curiosity and a growth mindset. And they create space for people to move: laterally, diagonally, or even into unfamiliar territory. Internal secondments, project swaps, job shadowing, and re-skilling initiatives are becoming the new norm.

Take Google’s "Googler-to-Googler" (g2g) programme. It empowers employees to teach each other everything from coding to communication. This peer-led learning culture breaks down silos and builds internal capability. But more than that, Google actively enables people to explore new roles within the business. A call centre agent can become a data analyst. An engineer might move into product strategy. This approach fuels retention and unleashes hidden talent.

The benefits go far beyond the individual. When employees move across teams, they connect departments, challenge assumptions, and bring fresh thinking to entrenched problems. Silos crumble. Knowledge flows. Culture strengthens. People stay longer, because they don’t need to leave the company to grow.

The most progressive companies are building tools to map skills, identify growth areas, and match people with opportunities. They invest in upskilling and mentoring to make internal transitions realistic, not aspirational. And they redefine what success looks like: not just climbing higher, but learning wider.

In 2025, the broken career ladder is a symbol of a bygone era. The future belongs to organisations that embrace movement over status, exploration over expectation. Because when people are trusted to shape their own path, they give more, grow faster, and stay connected to the place that gave them the chance.